The Charity Event
by TalliW
Summary: The ARC team and fairy tales are a dangerous mix.


"Why did I ever agree to this?" Lester grumbled. "Please tell me again why I'm doing this?"

"It's all for charity," Connor explained helpfully.

"Thanks, Mr. Temple. Now I'm feeling much better about the thought of running around in a fur costume in 30 degree heat. Why can't I play the Shakespeare scenes for the adults?"

Abby and Connor shared a look but neither of them dared to say anything.

"James, really. You're too old to play "Romeo and Juliet," Jenny Lewis answered with a shake of the head.

"Miss Maitland and Mr. Temple aren't teens anymore either," the bureaucrat complained.

"But at least they don't look like..., er they look younger. Now stay still before I prick you with the needle."

Lester grimaced as Jenny pierced him despite the fact that he hadn't moved a muscle.

"All right, the costume fits. You can take it off now. All I have left to do is to adjust Lorraine's costume and I'm finished," Jenny sighed, pleased.

"Why did no one tell me my secretary was playing a part in the charity performance as well? She asked me yesterday for three days off to visit her sister in Cornwall and I agreed."

"But why would she go on a journey when she knew the charity event would be tomorrow?" Abby wrinkled her forehead. "Connor, you haven't forgotten to tell her, have you?"

"Of course not. Perhaps she's got the jitters or she was afraid of the big bad wolf." Connor threw a look at Lester and snickered.  
"So that leaves me without a counterpart for tomorrow. There is no way I'm going to have suffered this whole fitting for nothing. Miss Maitland, you can fill in."

"Connor and I will be busy changing into the costumes for Hansel and Gretel. Our scene is after yours."

"Don't look at me, James," Jenny Lewis chided. "I've enough to do with my own scenes. Do you know how hard it is not to laugh when Stephen walks in as the seventh dwarf?"

Not even Lester could suppress a smirk as he remembered Stephen's rehearsal scene which had started with a loud bang because Stephen Hart had forgotten to duck his head for the low door.

"And have you seen Ryan's rehearsal in his Bambi-costume?" Connor threw in. "I didn't know if I was going to laugh or cry. He looked so hilarious but his acting was awesome. The children will love it."

"Chatting about the performances of your colleagues is all very nice but do I have to remind you that we still haven't got a partner for my appearance?

"There is only one person who isn't on stage and could fill in. But I don't think it's such a good idea...." Abby trailed off.

"I don't care what you think as long I have a counterpart tomorrow. If you will excuse me now, I have a meeting to attend."

James Lester was nervous and he was sweating in his thick fur costume. He still didn't know who would play his counterpart but Jenny had assured him everything was all right. Thanks to some trouble with his superiors over budget excesses he hadn't had the time to think much about the charity event and his part in it.

He knew the fairy tale rather well and as long his stage partner had learnt the text there wouldn't be any problems.

But now, only minutes before his debut, the civil servant felt the whole burden of responsibility pressing on his shoulders. He adjusted his costume and threw a quick look at the script one more time, wishing everything was already over.

Stephen was just finishing his scene. He had managed to remember to duck on entering but his exit was accompanied by another bang against the door frame.

Now the big moment was here. James Lester stepped on the stage and was blinded by the spotlights.

"Where are you going, my pretty girl, all alone in the woods?" he asked the figure in the red cape and red hat, which he still could only make out the outlines of.

"I'm taking Grandma some cakes. She lives at the end of the path," Little Red Riding Hood answered, in a strong Scottish accent.

Sir James nearly fainted when he recognised the voice. He didn't know how he could get through the next few minutes. He suddenly couldn't remember any single line of text. Fortunately his brain was working on autopilot. He heard himself saying: "Red Riding Hood, look at the pretty little flowers at the side of the path. Why don't you take a look around?" I believe you're not even hearing how sweetly the little birds are singing? You are walking along so soberly, as if you were going to school and it is so merry to be in the forest."

Lester stumbled behind the curtain after the scene and glared at Professor Cutter who pulled his red velvet hat down in disgust.

"You didn't tell me Cutter was going to play Red Riding Hood?" Lester snarled at Jenny who pushed him back on the stage for the next scene.

The anger was boiling in him the whole time. He really had gone out of his way to give a good performance and now Cutter had turned everything into a joke.

He nearly growled throughout the next scene and when he finally grasped the grandmother, played by one of the older women of the charity foundation, the audience applauded excitedly at his convincing acting.

James Lester would have been happy to end his appearance this way but unfortunately there was still the end scene to play - with Cutter.

And he knew one way or another Cutter would manage to botch things up.

With a deep sigh he crawled into the thick feather-bed and his body temperature went up another few degrees.

"What a deep voice you have," said Cutter, aka Little Red Riding Hood, in surprise.

"The better to greet you with," answered Lester, the wolf.

"Goodness, what big eyes you have." exclaimed Little Red Riding Hood as she moved over to the bed.

"The better to see you with."

"And what big...." The rest of the sentence turned into an unintelligible burble as Cutter stepped on his cape and tumbled onto the bed.

"You idiot, get down off me!" Lester hissed. He pushed Cutter away, as he tried to find support on Lester's shoulders and was pulled down off the bed with him.

"Yay! Little Red Riding Hood, beat the crap out of the wolf. He's eaten your grandma!" the younger audience cheered as wolf and Little Red Riding Hood rolled over the boards...

The next morning Nick Cutter limped into the ARC, welcomed by snickers from his team mates. He pointedly ignored them and hobbled up the ramp to Lester's office.

The shiner on Lester's left eye matched the tie he was wearing today and Cutter had trouble suppressing a laugh.

Lester looked up and was lost for words for a moment. Finally he said: "Well, I think the situation yesterday got a little out of hand."

"You don't say," Cutter mumbled and rubbed his bruised ribs. "I knew it was a mistake to agree to fill in for Lorraine the moment Abby offered to write all my reports for the next three weeks."

"Ah, I was asking myself what could have convinced you to take part in the play in that ridiculous dress."

"We probably completely ruined the event. What was the topic of the charity event anyway?"

"Brotherly love."

"Oh."

"Exactly."

Jenny Lewis walked in and bestowed her most beautiful smile on both men.  
"Your scene was a great success They said they had never had such a good negative example and they want you again for the next charity event."

"No way!" shouted Nick Cutter, and Lester started to growl like a wolf until Jenny slowly backed out of the office...


End file.
